Hilltoppers come close
There were plenty of tears and sad faces, yet the heads were held high as the Glenbard West football players walked off the field for the final time this season.
The Hilltoppers (6-5) opened the fall coming off a 1-8 campaign and picked by most to finish at the bottom of the West Suburban Silver standings. Not only did they surprise many by making the Class 7A playoffs, but a big win in Round 1 brought Chicago Public League power Morgan Park (10-1) to Glen Ellyn on Saturday afternoon with a berth in the state quarterfinals on the line.
The Mustangs advanced with a 34-27 victory but needed a blocked field goal and 2 touchdowns in the final minute and a half to stun the Hilltoppers and end a memorable season for first-year coach Chad Hetlet and his players.
"I would think that people respect Glenbard West football now," said Hetlet, whose team led 27-14 at the half and looked to add to a 27-21 lead with 1:36 left to play when a 30-yard field-goal attempt was blocked and opened the door for Morgan Park's improbable rally. "Morgan Park is well-coached, no doubt in my mind. If we have to lose to anybody I have no problem losing to a class act like that."
That said, the Hilltoppers looked for much of the afternoon as if they would be taking on Wheaton Warrenville South in next week's quarterfinals. Even though Morgan Park's Dominique Bell's scored on 60- and 70-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter, the Hilltoppers led 20-14 after a wild, 5-TD opening quarter.
Quarterback Andrew Baldwin threw TD passes of 74 and 11 yards on his first 2 attempts of the game, and Kane Keirnan's 5-yard scoring run enabled the hosts to more than answer Bell's big runs. Glenbard West's defense, meanwhile, played another superb game, blanking the Mustangs in the second quarter and protecting the lead until the unfortunate ending.
With no timeouts left Morgan Park was in danger of falling behind by two scores before Delon Robinson blocked Matt Wetherell's field-goal attempt and Mustang Everett Croom returned the ball to the Morgan Park 48-yard line with 1:22 left to play.
Completions of 32 and 20 yards placed the ball at the Hilltoppers 1, and when quarterback Victor Scott scored the visitors had a 28-27 lead with 59 seconds to go.
Robinson then picked off a pass and returned it 23 yards for a score that sealed the Mustangs' stunning comeback.
"We got a lot of heart. We'll come back next year more hungry," Glenbard West defensive lineman Theo Odom said. "They didn't really win. We sort of lost ourselves."
For Keirnan, a senior captain, the defeat was hard to swallow. But the accomplishments this season will leave lasting memories.
"Nobody wants to leave," he said. "Us seniors, it's our last time. We talked, we hugged, we cried. It's tough. But I think we outplayed Morgan Park. Sometimes it's just not meant to be."
Mustangs coach Lexie Spurlock was impressed with the Hilltoppers.
"I didn't want to go back to the city championship," he said. "We want state. I know they got a great program out here with great kids, but they were more impressive than I thought."
Hetlet felt his players proved they can play with the state's elite programs.
"I think our kids walk off the field knowing they can play with anybody in the state," he said. "If we can play with Morgan Park we can play with anybody."